Hide and Seek
by heathersjeans
Summary: Oneshot mild horror fic.


**A/N - Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic, just a short oneshot I wrote for English class. After some encouragement, I decided to upload this and see what you all think. Just to mention, this is not Uchihacest! Just a horror/angsty piece. Any comments or constructive criticism are extremely welcome! Thank you!**

**Title: Hide and Seek**

**Warnings: Mild horror and angst, some OOCness**

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Sasuke heared his breath coming loud and fast, and his bare feet echoed off the cold floorboards; the only sounds in the otherwise dark and empty manor house. Moonlight spilled in through the large open windows on his right, causing the night-time shadows to appear larger than they were. He didn't care that his shirt, a new one, was soaked through with sweat, and blood from his minor wounds. He didn't care that silent tears were threatening to spill down his cheeks, blurring his vision and confusing him. He had to get away,

He didn't want to die.

Somewhere inside him, a memory of mere moments ago came unbidden to Sasuke's mind, revealing an oddly high and loud shriek from a once-familiar voice. It rang through his mind sharply and clearly, scrambling his thoughts, like a bullet through a flock of doves.

_A lone, dark figure stood above the bleeding cadaver, and he shrieked at it, insane in both pitch and wording,_

_"Am I good enough for you now, Father?! Am I?!"_

Reaching the end of the long corridor on the west wing of his family manor, Sasuke turned sharply left, gasping as the movement sent shocks of pain down his side. His mind was laced with a cold, icy fear, numbing his ponderings, and rendering his brain devoid of any coherent thought. He thought he could hear footsteps, slow and barely audible, echoing off the shadowed, unadorned corridor walls. The icy fear grew, knoting in his stomach as he tried not to scream. Don't scream, he willed himself desperately. Screaming will get you killed.

Upon reaching the main entrance hall of the manor, the conjunction of the manor's three main corridors, he reached out and yanked open the blue-painted wooden door of a small closet set into the wall. He scrambled inside, pushing himself among the coats and scarfs hanging there. For once in his life Sasuke thanked whatever gods were out there for his small, scrawny and somewhat feminine frame. He hid, hugging his knees to his chest, and tried not to sob or sniffle, hoping against hope that this was all just a terrible dream. But the pain from his cuts and the fear in his mind were all too real.

His sharp mind - the part that was not numb - tried, against his will, to understand the situation. It was so horrific he could barely comprehend it. Why was this happening? Almost reluctantly, memories from not-so-long-ago came to his mind.

Sasuke lived with his father and elder brother in a large manor, built in a hilly, wooded area in the deserted area of Konoha. His mother had died from an odd, wasting disease when he was very young. His father was a wealthy, middle-aged businessman. He was strong, both mentally and physically, and he was a tough man to live with. He was cruel, and strict, and only expected excellence and dicipline from everyone, including his two sons. His high intellect and strength had caused him to believe that he was superior to everyone else, and rejected other people's opinions and emotions, believing that they were a sign of weakness. His pride and joy was his eldest son Itachi.

Itachi was seventeen, eight years Sasuke's senior, and was, in general, quite perfect. He had his father's tall, strong build and his mother's pale skin and black hair. He excelled in both sports and academics, and his father often praised Itachi's many achievements, slapping him on the back and saying heartily, "You've got it, boy, you've got your old man's spark."

Sasuke was, frankly, a disappointment to his father. After having a perfect first son, who had skipped grades in the academy and was on every team Konoha had to offer, he had expected another prodigy. However, this was not the case. Sasuke, though retaining his mother's pale complexion and shockingly black hair, had a small and scrawny build. Though he was quite clever, and the teachers in the academy said he had great potential, he was a dreamer and he was never as intelligent as his elder brother. He tried day after day to be as good as his older sibling, to get the recognition he strived for from his father. His few achievments were constantly being overshadowed by those of his elder brother, and Sasuke's father never acknowleged him. It seemed to him that his best was just not good enough.

However, while Itachi was quite obviously favoured by their father, Sasuke had never despised him for it. Itachi, though appearing distant and unintentionally intimidating to others, was in fact a very kind and perceptively compassionate person. He always tried to praise Sasuke, and included him in anything he was doing. He spared time for his younger sibling, helping him with his homework and he often played games with him. He was Sasuke's confidante and often his best friend. All this was true, so why.....

Oh no. Sasuke, all alone in the small and enclosed closet, backtracked. His brother had always played games with him, especially Sasuke's favourite, Hide and Seek....

The footsteps, which were most certainly not a figment of his imagination, had reached the wide entrance hall of the manor, and slowed to a stop not too far from the closet door. Then, they came, much slower and almost mockingly, to where Sasuke was hiding. A voice spoke, as unrecognisable now as it was just moments ago in his memory.

"Sasuke-kun.... come out, otouto..."

Sasuke's frame trembled as the urge to scream filled him once again. He bit his lip harshly, and the action caused him to break the skin, filling his mouth with the taste of iron and rust.

"Where are you, otouto?" The voice was sarcastic now, cold and distant. "If you come out, I promise I won't hurt you."

The cold words chilled Sasuke to the core, and he covered his ears with his hands, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. This isn't happening, he repeated over and over in his head, like a mantra. This cannot be happening.

Even through the hands covering his ears, Sasuke could hear his brother sigh impatiently. "Sasuke-kun, do you remenber when we were younger, and we used to play Hide and Seek together? Do you remember where you always used to hide?"

Suddenly, the closet door was yanked open, and the moonlight streamed into the closet, bathing Sasuke and his surroundings its unearthy glow. Fintan looked up and saw his brother, silhouetted from the chest down in the moonlight, staring down at him with an almost feral look in his black eyes. Beneath them, the high cliffs of Itachi's cheekbones cast long planes of shadow down his face, making him appear angular, dangerous. Sasuke was sure he was smirking softly. In an upraised hand -- a hand that Sasuke used to hold so tightly, before -- a long wicked-looking kunai knife, covered in the blood of his father, glinted in the light filtering in through the opposite window. A combination of the moonlight and Sasuke's fear made Itachi look much older than his seventeen years, and certainly much more deadly.

For a fraction of a second, the tension between the two was almost palpable; the air in the closet and around Itachi seemed to crackle as the atmospheric electicity passed between them. It felt as though Sasuke's heart had stopped beating, and for a moment, all the emotions and thoughts in Sasuke's head dissipated, leaving nothing but the slick, cold-water feeling of terror. Then Itachi tilted his head slightly, and the spell was broken.

"Found you."

After that, Sasuke could not contain himself any longer. He opened his mouth and screamed.

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otouto: little brother

-kun: Japanese honorific, generally used for younger boys

kunai: ninja throwing knife

Oneshot, mild horror, drama, slight angst. Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha, first fanfic. Check it out!


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